NSFAS pays R4.2bn to universities and colleges before 2026 academic year starts

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has confirmed that it has already paid out more than R4.2bn to universities and TVET colleges to support students at the start of the 2026 academic year. During a media briefing on Thursday, NSFAS said R3.6bn was disbursed to universities, while R679m was paid to TVET colleges. “As committed by NSFAS at the start of February 2026, R3.6bn was successfully disbursed to universities for allowance payments, while R679m was disbursed to TVET colleges for tuition payments,” NSFAS said.

The early payments were made to ensure that qualifying students received their allowances in time for the start of the academic year. “This was in line with NSFAS’s commitment to ensure students who qualify for funding have allowances early in the year to support the start of their academic journey,” the scheme said. NSFAS also confirmed progress in its appeals process, which allows students to request a review of their funding outcomes.

NSFAS said it had also made progress in clearing document backlogs, with more than 180,000 outstanding documents submitted since the last briefing, resulting in an additional 50,000 approvals before the registration cycle closed. “NSFAS remains committed to processing all appeals fairly, transparently and efficiently,” it said, adding that students have 30 days to finalise an appeal once an outcome is communicated. The scheme also confirmed that payments to TVET college students will follow a revised schedule due to extended registration periods.

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“In consultation with the department of higher education and training, TVET branch and SAVETSA, due to extensions of registrations at TVET colleges, the first disbursement date of allowances to TVET college students is now February 13 2026, with a second disbursement added for February 27 2026,” said NSFAS. NSFAS said further upfront payments were planned, with the next disbursement scheduled for early March, as the funding timetable remained on track.

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